From San Diego to Tahoe, these Golden State athletes have eyes set on Olympic gold
Here’s a look at the athletes from California who will compete for the United States in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which run Feb. 9-25. Click here for a full schedule of events.
Bobsled
Nick Cunningham
Hometown: Monterey
Comment: This will be the 32-year-old’s third Olympic appearance. His highest Olympic finish in both the four-man and two-man events is 12th place.
Social media: On Instagram, BOBSLEDR; Twitter, @BOBSLEDR
Lauren Gibbs
Hometown: Denver
Comment: Gibbs, 33, has quite the athletic résumé. According to a Los Angeles Times story, she starred in soccer, volleyball, long jump and triple jump at an all-girls school in Pasadena before playing volleyball at Brown. This is her first Olympic appearance.
Social media: On Instagram, lagibbs84; Twitter, @lagibbs84
Carlo Valdes
Hometown: Newport Beach
Comment: This will be the first Olympic experience for the 28-year-old UCLA product.
Social media: On Instagram, carlovaldes_usa; Twitter, @CarloValdes_USA
Figure Skating
Karen Chen
Hometown: Fremont
Comment: Chen, 18, has been ice skating since she was 4. This is her first Olympic appearance.
Social media: On Instagram, karebearsk8; Twitter, @Karebearsk8
Chris Knierim
Hometown: San Diego
Comment: The 30-year-old first-time Olympian competes with his wife, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, in pairs. He likes to work on cars in his spare time.
Social media: On Instagram, chris_knierim; Twitter, @ChrisKnierim
Mirai Nagasu
Hometown: Arcadia
Comment: Nagasu just missed a medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games. This is the second Olympic bid for the 24-year-old.
Social media: On Instagram, mirainagasu; Twitter, @mirai_nagasu
Adam Rippon
Hometown: Los Angeles
Comment: This is the first Olympic bid for the 28-year-old, who was an alternate in 2010. He’s the first man to win consecutive World Junior titles (2008-09).
Social media: On Instagram, adaripp; Twitter, @Adaripp
Vincent Zhou
Hometown: Palo Alto
Comment: Zhou, 17, is a first-time Olympian who won a gold medal last year in the International Skating Union World Junior Championships.
Social media: On Instagram, govincentzhou; Twitter, @govincentzhou
Ice Hockey
Cayla Barnes
Hometown: Eastvale
Comment: The 19-year-old is playing in her first Olympics. She’s the first player in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s U18 Women’s World Championships to win three straight gold medals (2015-17).
Social media: On Instagram, cayla_barnes27; Twitter, @Cayla_barnes27
Jonathon Blum
Hometown: Ladera Ranch
Comment: Blum, 28, is the first California native to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft, going 23rd overall in 2007 to the Nashville Predators. The first-time Olympian is now playing in the seven-country Kontinental Hockey League.
Social media: On Twitter, @JonBlum7
Skeleton
Kendall Wesenberg
Hometown: Modesto
Comment: This will be the first Olympic bid for the 27-year-old. She won the first Skeleton World Cup event of her career in 2014 and is the first American woman to win the Europe Cup overall season rankings.
Social media: On Instagram, kendallorraine
Skiing
Bryce Bennett
Hometown: Tahoe City
Comment: This will be the first Olympic experience for the 25-year-old, realizing a dream he’s had since he was 8 years old.
Social media: On Instagram, brycebennett
Maddie Bowman
Hometown: South Lake Tahoe
Comment: The 24-year-old won a gold medal in halfpipe four years ago in Sochi. This will be the second Olympics for Bowman, who won gold in superpipe in four consecutive Aspen X Games (2013-16).
Social media: On Instagram, maddie_bowman; Twitter, @maddiebowman
Stacey Cook
Hometown: Mammoth Lakes
Comment: This is the fourth Olympics for the 33-year-old Truckee native, who has been racing since 1990. She loves everything outdoors when she’s not skiing.
Social media: On Instagram, staceycookusa; Twitter, @staceycookusa
Mark Engel
Hometown: Truckee
Comment: The 26-year-old, who was born in Folsom and is making his first Olympic appearance, has recorded a music album released by Sweet Salt Records. He plays guitar, violin and banjo.
Social media: On Instagram, markskis
Brita Sigourney
Hometown: Carmel
Comment: The 28-year-old UC Davis alumna finished sixth in the halfpipe at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Social media: On Instragram, britasig; Twitter, @britasig
Snowboarding
Jamie Anderson
Hometown: South Lake Tahoe
Comment: Anderson, 27, won a gold medal in slopestyle four years ago in Sochi. In 2006, she became the youngest Winter X Games medalist, winning a bronze in slopestyle at age 15.
Social media: On Instagram, jamieanderson; Twitter, @JamieAsnow
Kelly Clark
Hometown: Mammoth Lakes
Comment: The 34-year-old Folsom resident will be the first U.S. snowboarder to compete at five Olympics. No other rider, male or female, has more than three appearances. She’s a three-time Olympic medalist in the halfpipe, scoring gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City and bronze in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
Social media: On Instagram, thekellyclark; Twitter, @thekellyclark
Lindsey Jacobellis
Hometown: Roxbury, Conn.
Comment: The 32-year-old, who now makes her home in Encinitas, is going to the Olympics for the fourth time. She won a silver medal in snowboardcross at the Turin Games in 2006. She’s also an animal lover who likes to surf when she’s not competing.
Social media: On Instagram, lindseyjacobellis; Twitter, @LindsJacobellis
Hailey Langland
Hometown: San Clemente
Comment: The first-time Olympian is 17 years old and grew up snowboarding on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. She took first place in big air at the 2017 X Games Norway.
Social media: On Instagram, haileylangland; Twitter, @yung_hails
Chloe Kim
Hometown: Torrance
Comment: The 17-year-old is heading into her first Olympic games. She has three gold medals in X Games halfpipe competitions.
Social media: On Instagram, chloekimsnow; Twitter, @chloekimsnow
Maddie Mastro
Hometown: Wrightwood
Comment: When the 17-year-old first-time Olympian isn’t on the halfpipe, her numerous hobbies include soccer, surfing and photography.
Social media: On Instagram, maddie_mastro; Twitter, @maddie_mastro
Shaun White
Hometown: Carlsbad
Comment: The most famous of this year’s California Olympians is competing in his fourth Games. White, 31, has two gold medals in halfpipe (2006, 2010) and is a star in the X Games as a skateboarder and snowboarder.
Social media: On Instagram, shaunwhite; Twitter, @shaunwhite
This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 9:42 PM with the headline "From San Diego to Tahoe, these Golden State athletes have eyes set on Olympic gold."